The photocomposition is a method of preparation of lines of text in typographical quality generalized in the Années 1960 and largely computerized in the Années 1980.

Principle

The process consists in not composing the characters by running lead, but in flashant characters on a sensitized paper, from where its name. Quality is improved and the cost in the page definitely lower than what is obtained with a system with lead, because possible speeds (15 000 lines/minute, that is to say ten times the speed of a printer of computer of the time, was a speed of typical composition).

Context

The process replaced, in addition to the Linotype S, most modest type-setting machines with ball kind “Composphère”, typewriters very improved, whose first models required that one twice strike each line of text (the first being used to determine a priori spacings between characters to observe during the second striking, which only resulted in an impression).

Appeared at the end of the Fifties, photocomposition then allowed the passage of printing works the era of numerical, not without social upheavals.

Seizure

Initially, the seizure was made “with the kilometer” and remote, in order to be able to supply the machine in a way as continuous as possible. No monitor made it possible to check its exit. The text was then deferred on a punched tape or a magnetic medium.

Monitors then made it possible to control the texts and codings. Far from the current software Wysiwyg, these monitors worked only in text mode. One however gained there a much better comfort compared to the automatic word wrappings “as a blind man”.

The data storage was done then on magnetic Disquettes of 5,25 inches then on Hard drives.

These data, the texts, were enriched , marked out, in order to apply styles to them: police force of character, body, grease , deformation (strongly proceeded denounced like not professional by Adrian Frutiger), justification, rail , etc, in order to give them a form. Then, these texts were sent to the unit of writing, the photocomposer.

From there, the columns of text left on editing tables where they were generally assembled, until worms the years 1980, with adhesive and scissors.

Processes

Various processes made it possible to defer the texts on photosensitive paper then on films. Systems called to mirrors (Berthold), in which the characters were openwork and, by carryforward of stencil key set thanks to a source of light, impressed on significant surface. Then the laser made its appearance quickly (Linotronic, Compugraphic, Cerci…) for the direct writing on surface.

Appearance of the CAM

Upstream of photocomposition the Desktop publishing appeared, containing minicomputers in the Années 1970. The appearance in 1984 of the very first Macintosh inserted the latter in the general public and brutally separated the activities from “prepress” (sub-contracted at various companies of size or even with the independent ones), of that of the Flashage. The second indeed continued to require very important capital, and it was thus practiced there margins without common measurement with the first, exposed to a sharp competition.